


Meeting in the Dawn

by i_dalliance



Series: Two Sides of the Same Coin [3]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Friendship, Healing, Marriage, Mental Health Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29520372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_dalliance/pseuds/i_dalliance
Summary: Months after the second attempt on her life on Palaven, Castis and Solana visit the two of them on Earth.While finding respite in the small slice of the galaxy that Shepard-Vakarian pair had made, the Vakarian's come to turn with what family means while Garrus and Shepard carefully move towards the future.~---------------------~Epilogue to my other two fics The Voice in the Dark and Shrouded in Light
Relationships: Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian
Series: Two Sides of the Same Coin [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088747
Kudos: 26





	1. Castis & Shepard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is meant to be an epilogue to the other two fics in the series as it mentions in the description and since a lot of world-building was built up in those I'd recommend reading those before reading this. They're not that long and I'm genuinely proud of how well they turned out so if you do I'd really appreciate it. 
> 
> This is also meant to show the relationships I couldn't focus on in Shrouded in Light, mainly Garrus bonding with Solana and Castis with Shepard. It's also going to move on with Garrus and Shepard's relationship in the way that I feel is the natural progression for them at this point.

_“Garrus,” Liara sighed, her eyes near closing at the familiar argument as the crew around her grumbled, “We simply do not have the materials to fix things any faster.”_

_“That’s easy for you guys to say,” Garrus snapped before gesturing somewhere out beyond the ship, “There’s a whole planet out there for you to eat. You could live here your entire lives, you could even start your own colony. Your children’s children could live here their entire lives.”_

_“But if this ship does not leave this planet I will starve to death within the month,” he saw a few eyes flash down in guilt but he ignored them with the same ease he ignored Tali sitting at the table, a dark grumble growing through his chest._

_He dug his fingers into his armours latches, tossing them to the ground in front of them. His undersuit was loose against his body and it was clear his body was starting to waste away with the way fabric drooped where it hadn’t before._

_“There,” he ripped open the repair panel of the chest plate, showing the wires and sensors in it, “I got you some materials.”_

_He pulled off his visor and threw it into the pile before storming off. He crawled back into the panel he was working on, ripping out fried wires with a deep grunt under his breath. Liara came in to try and gently ease him into taking a break he just ignored her until she finally gave up but not before leaving his visor’s memory drive on the ground next to him._

_Garrus downloaded everything off of it onto his omni-tool before loading up his photos. They were mostly of Shepard at a distance - desperately taken when he realised it was all he could have - but there was one very special one in there. It was Shepard halfway on his lap, they’d just beaten the Collectors and were celebrating when he took a picture to commemorate it._

_His gaze in the photo was on Shepard even then, his free hand slipping up her shirt to curl around her waist. She had a lazy grin on her face with her arms wrapped around his neck. Garrus raised a talon to gently stroke Shepard’s holographic face with his chest aching._

_He needed to know what happened to Shepard._

_If she was dead he’d join her in a blaze of glory. If she was alive then he could live in the misery he had grown accustomed to._

_But if she was missing? If she needed help? If she needed someone to drag her out whatever mess the Alliance had demanded of her? He needed to be there, he needed to save her if she needed it._

_The mere thought that she could be hurt and or trapped with no one to help haunted his every moment, whether he was asleep or awake it was the only thing on his mind._

* * *

Castis’ eyes trailed across the mantle, taking in the assortment of knick-knacks and framed photos. He noticed a trend of them mostly being after the war - taken in their new home - except one dated by the bandage still on Garrus’ face as his son’s eyes in the photo refused to look away from Shepard.

It was placed next to an empty bottle of amino neutral wine and Castis remembered Victus mentioned once that Garrus carried an expensive bottle of wine across Menae and into the Normandy. That was clearly a different wine judging by the brand but he noticed the pattern.

His son was a sentimental fool, was all Castis thought before wondering if he peeked in their cellar all he would see was high-end wine. Shepard had always struck him as a woman who didn’t particularly care what she was drinking so it was clear that the attachment was on Garrus’ end.

Not that Castis was any different, his wife probably could have opened a museum before she’d died with the number of fossilized shells he’d given her over the years. There was something about that first gift that had turians returning to it.

He moved on with the floor creaking underneath him as Shepard just watched him. Castis glanced over the room, noticing the sensors hidden in the wood around the window as he drew near.

Good.

“That’s a big forest,” Castis peered out the window, “There any animals in there?”

“Yeah but most animals have a natural fear of humans so they don’t tend to come near the house,” Shepard said, “Most we get are a few skunks or foxes sniffing around, tend to go away when the light automatically turns on.”

Castis pulled up his omni-tool, about to look up those creatures before something seemed to pop into Shepard’s mind.

“Oh,” Shepard piped up in concern, “If you see a small black creature with two white stripes across it’s back that’s a skunk. Stay away, they’ll spray you and you’ll stink for days.”

“Your animals have biological warfare,” he felt a stab of amusement at that.

“I guess they do,” she hummed, her eyes shifting away from him.

Shepard seemed to be a bit awkward around him, not that he could blame her. He knew how it must look from her side, she was of a different species and she must know that he never had the greatest relationship with his son.

“You want to go in it?” Shepard asked and Castis just looked at her, “There are paths and if you’re loud enough most animals will leave you alone.”

“Is that really alright?” Castis seemed hesitant before his eyes flickered down to her prosthetics and Shepard just tried to smile reassuringly.

“My therapist suggests that I should 'leave the house’ and ‘breathe in the fresh air’,” her fingers quoted in the air around her, “ I’m not comfortable going into town yet so I either end up going to Toronto for physio or screaming in the woods.”

Castis just nodded before slipping his boots over his feet’s protective covering and he opened the door for her, letting her shuffle out first. She raised up her omni-tool as he closed the door, Castis hearing the whir of the sensors in the door activate.

The dry heat settled around them and Shepard glared a bit at the sun. It only until they settled into the cool air of the forest did she finally start to relax. They settled into the worn dirt path while Shepard carefully stepped over vines and stones dotting it, Castis mulled over his thoughts.

“What about towns sets you off,” he asked, “You seemed fine in Cipritine.”

“I can hide in cities,” she said, “Even if I’ve never been there, I can figure out where to hide from people or cops.”

“Uhhh,” She looked at Castis with a bit of panic, “No offence or anything.”

He just hummed in response as Shepard carefully stepped over a root in the middle of the path. She waited for Castis to follow, an embarrassed look on her face at the way she struggled for breath.

“You can’t hide in towns, everyone knows everyone. Makes me antsy. Garrus is okay with it because he got to be a regular person for a good chunk of his life,” Her hands slipped onto her hip as she watched a bird flit through the trees, “One of those lives where you go to work, you have drinks with friends, you aren’t afraid of being murdered in your sleep by a junkie or some asshole with a vengeance.”

“I can see that being hard to get used to,” Castis said before looking straight at her, “Why did you move here then.”

“Garrus liked it,” her voice suddenly turned wistful as she added, “and I also wanted to try getting used to this. Just not that good at it yet.”

Shepard pushed on before they slipped around the side of an incline. He could hear the faint lapping of water on the shore before the forest opened up to a massive lake. A small path led to a dock, an old rotten boat sat on the shore with a few wooden chairs on the grass next to it.

“This part of your property too?” he asked with his eyes pointedly on the turian chair there before his eyes went to the rickety dock and he felt a stab of parental concern, “Please tell me you don’t use that dock.”

Shepard laughed before shaking her head, “Nah, neither of us wants to risk it. It looks too rotten and there’s too much metal in the both of us. But yes this is part of our property.”

Castis nodded before looking at her listen to the sound of the lake before admitting, “When I first heard of you I did not like you. Back when Garrus joined you on the SSV Normandy I looked up your record, you struck me as impulsive and I will admit I disliked you on principle for being a Spectre.”

“Garrus said you wouldn’t like me,” Castis bit back a wince at how bluntly she said it but she didn’t sound offended, rather somewhat nostalgic.

“I was wrong,” he felt exhausted like the years had suddenly caught up to him, “and Garrus was right to follow you.”

“I…” Shepard shifted awkwardly, her hands opening and closing, “Thank you.”

“No, I should thank you,” Castis said, “Garrus became a better man because of you. You brought out that potential I could always see in him. Everyone wanted Garrus to join in a leadership position or even the Spectres. Don’t get me wrong. He’s good at what he did.”

“But?” Shepard asked Castis could sense the hum of curiosity that would radiate from her if she had subvocals.

He supposed he would be too if he only had one half of the story.

“No one else could root out a secret like Garrus, if he could have controlled his temper and his patience he would have been a better investigator than me,” he sounded wistful and judging by her nod, Shepard couldn’t help but agree.

Garrus just had that technical eye he’d never seen anywhere. He wondered if that was what started to draw her to him though Castis figured he didn’t want too many details.

“I guess I saw myself in him and it was frustrating he couldn’t see his own talent,” he sighed, weary mandibles wavering for a moment before admitting, “I had to learn that being a parent is watching your kids find their own paths, with or without you.”

“So I’m apologising, for not seeing what you meant to my son and instead just judging you without even meeting you.”

“You weren’t wrong though, I was impulsive,” she said before shrugging at Castis’ inquiring look, “Seeing your own grave tends to put those things in perspective.”

“I can admit when I’m wrong, Shepard,” he couldn’t help the amusement that filled his voice, “At least with family. I’d like to think I’ve changed at least that much.”

She laughed, something the was becoming freer and less strained in the few months that he knew her. Shepard seemed so pained on Palaven, painfully aware that her presence would always create a splash in the world around her.

Shepard shifted awkwardly before adding, “Thank you, Castis. For both this and…”

Her voice trailed off but Castis didn’t have to ask what she meant.

“You bring it up yet?”

“Not yet,” she sighed, scratching her cheek in something that seemed common in both of their species, “I want to ask while you and Sol are here. Seems only right.”

Castis nodded before they just stood there in silence. He thought it odd, that this human had garnered her way into their family. He would admit that his first acceptance of her was simply in support of his son but now she was like another daughter to him, as much as Sol seemed to see her as a sister.

She had this strength to endure that he admired.

They made their way back to the house, silence washing over the pair of them. Castis wondered what his wife would have thought of Shepard. It was only when Garrus and Solana came back from picking up supplies in town - Garrus’ eyes lighting up at the sight of Shepard - that he decided that she would have liked her.

She would have been just as proud of their son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are almost entirely written, I just need to finish a few paragraphs in the second and wrap up the third. I've been working on this for a while, at least before I finished Shrouded in Light. This is also the most likely end for this series unless I get an amazing idea that's really fleshed out to add to it.


	2. Solana & Garrus

_It looked like there was something rumbling through Garrus’ mind, his hand awkwardly hovering over the buttons for the elevator. Shepard felt her chest ache and she wished she could read his mind. Maybe she should take the initiative, press for the loft but truthfully they didn’t have the time to discuss what would happen between them if they both survived the suicide mission._

_So now they were here, unable to make a move despite the fact he had literally fucked her into her bed just a few hours earlier._

_Shepard decided to press the button but as her hand travelled towards the pad Garrus’ hand shot out and pressed the top floor. She felt the elevator shift below her feet as it crawled up to the top of the ship._

_“We didn’t open that wine,” was all Garrus said with a small twitch of his mandibles, voice surprisingly steady for a man who couldn’t decide whether to press a button for a half minute._

_Her lips parted, a smile that was all teeth, and she could feel his body vibrate right next to her. It felt like no time passed at all as they drank the bottle. It was when they moved on Shepard’s stash that Garrus went from buzzed to plastered, his mandibles wide as his chest rumbled underneath her. She didn’t remember whether she crawled into his lap or if he pulled her in but she honestly didn’t care._

_His arm was steady as he took a picture with his omni-tool, his other hand tight on her waist as he just soaked in the warmth of her skin. Shepard’s fingers stroked his neck and his eyes refused to leave her, instead just taking in her lazy smile._

* * *

It took Solana a moment to realise where she was, the light streaming across her face was a different shade than what she was used to. The sounds outside of the window - some sort of whistling - was another sign she wasn’t on Palaven.

She stretched, her plates shifting with the movement of her body before bare taloned feet stepped onto the real wood floors of her brother’s house. Suddenly Solana got it, why Garrus lived here.

It was a slice away from the chaos of the Galaxy.

She got dressed, latching on her pants before moving onto her shirt. She had a discussion with Shepard about clothes once and she just shrugged and said she slipped most of her clothes on.

Unfortunately, biology would not be as cooperative with her, she thought as she latched the shirt over her chest.

She made her way downstairs to notice dad sitting in one of the chairs in the kitchen, picking at breakfast. She quickly grabbed her own share while greeting him, tilting her head as she heard another melodic tone. Solana followed the noise all while taking a bite of her food.

She slipped into the living room to see Shepard curled up in Garrus’ lap with a guitar strapped around her chest. Shepard murmured something under her breath as she played, Garrus’ hands rested on Shepard’s waist as he just watched her tenderly. Up until he noticed Sol was there and he at least had the decency to move his hands to Shepard’s shoulders.

“Huh,” Sol hummed and Shepard smiledat her, “Somehow they miss that you play in all your exciting documentaries.”

“It’s a well-kept secret,” she said while her fingers plucked at the strings in a way that made Solana’s hands ache, “Morning, sleep well?”

“As well as I can in a new place,” she sat down to eat, “I’ll sleep better tonight.”

Shepard laughed and Sol cocked a grin, Garrus subvocals rumbling with something sickeningly sweet. It was a subvocal they heard often as children from their father every time their mom slipped her talons into his.

He’d turned into a softie, Solana thought as she wondered whether to tease him about it.

“Hey,” Shepard gently nudged Garrus’ chest with her elbow, “Don’t you need to head out soon?”

Garrus looked over to the clock on the mantle, apparently able to read the hands of the old human clock judging by the way his eyes flickered with recognition.

He hummed before leaning back, obviously reluctant to break the moment, “Hey Sol, you want to come?” he asked as his thumb absent-mindedly rubbed circles into Shepard’s shoulder.

“Yeah sure.”

“Great,” he pushed himself up, rubbing a hand across Shepard’s scalp to tousle her hair much to Shepard’s annoyance, “I’ll go let dad know we’re heading out. You can just wait by the car, I won’t be long.”

True to his word it was a few seconds after she got outside that he followed after her. They both settled into their seats as the car hummed to life around them before setting up into the air.

“Don’t mention Shepard’s name while we’re in town,” Garrus said, his hands firmly on the wheel.

“Two assassination attempts enough for the both of you?” Solana hummed as she leant back, struck by the difference of the trees of Earth passing below them compared to what she was used to.

“It was a decision we made after the first. She isn’t ready to go into town yet and if they knew The Commander Shepard was in their area, I’m not sure she could handle the attention,” her brother said and Sol couldn’t help but agree, seeing one small snag in their plan.

“They must know who you are? Couldn’t they figure out from that?”

Garrus laughed, “I sometimes get comments that I look like that ‘Vajarian’ boy. Someone once told Shepard that she looks just like the Commander.”

“Hiding in plain sight?”

“Hiding in the people's preconceptions,” Garrus leant back, “people expect Shepard and I to be out there, fighting crime or bad guys while a ship explodes in the background. It’s not like you tend to think that guy who drives into town once a week is a war hero.”

“So about Shepard?” she asked, Garrus tilting his head at her for her to continue.

“You do know her first name right?” she asked, a part of her genuinely was starting to believe he didn’t, “Like you haven’t just not learned it after being together for years?”

“I’ve only made the mistake of calling Shepard her first name once, she hates it,” he said with a smile, “Refuses to respond to it. Makes it easier for me, I got a little too used to calling her Shepard at the point where I should have stopped.”

Solana stretched her arms up in the car, kicking her feet. She knew he was out of the way but she didn’t think it’d be this out of the way. They must have an emergency stash at the house somewhere, in case something happened and they couldn’t leave for food or anything else. Turians tend to prepare for the worst.

“You going to apply for Alliance citizenship?” Sol finally asked the question that was rumbling in her mind.

It wasn’t like he couldn’t anymore. Part of the Normandy accord was to help turians who stayed on Earth find citizenship on their new planet with the exchange of humans being able to find citizenship in the Hierarchy. Assuming they passed boot camp that is.

“I’ve thought about it,” Garrus shrugged, “It’d be nice to be able to vote on issues that affect the planet I live on.”

“I sense a but.”

“Shepard would expect to join the Hierarchy,” Garrus’ mandibles tightened and Sol heard him rumble with anxiety, “The Alliance doesn’t have any real legal obligations to military service, it’s why she’s been allowed to live out here. They may not like it but the Hierarchy…?”

His voice trailed off but she understood. They would never leave her alone. Solana remembered that tired and pained look Shepard had when they talked on Palaven, her voice wavering as she told Sol she was tired of fighting for the Alliance.

“I have something here,” Garrus had that pained look on his face and Sol had the feeling once again that something happened in the past, “I don’t want to lose that.”

“I get that,” Sol crossed her leg over the other before switching the subject, for Garrus’ sake, “Your house is very nice.”

“Isn’t it?” Garrus suddenly shined with pride, humming at the compliment to his handiwork.

“I never took you as much of a carpenter,” she said.

“Me neither but when I looked into it, it’s mainly just math and working with your hands,” he hummed, “You take some wood and think about what you want to do with it, run calculations to see if it’ll work and then you put it together. It surprisingly overlaps my strong suits.”

“So your house is just a giant gun?”

“It’s no Thanix but I’ve said my goodbyes to that gun.”

“Wait,” Solana looked at him in surprise, “The Normandy has a Thanix?”

“I installed it myself,” Garrus said with a bit of pride, “It was probably the best-armed ship in the Alliance but I bet they’ve ruined all my calibrations.”

Solana trilled her sympathy for him. You couldn’t grow up in the Vakarian household without even a passing interest in math or coding. Their mom made everything a game, even homework, and their dad had strict demands on their education.

Garrus parked the car on the street of the smallest town Solana had ever seen. She’d have to go out to the colonies to see a settlement this small, Palaven had been long settled by it’s species. He locked it before leading her forward - stopping to greet people as they walked by - heading to an older looking building with a sign in both English and Palaven common.

Garrus had described it as a package dropoff office that would also order in bulk supplies. Since they were so out of the way no delivery company would go to their house - not that Garrus was comfortable with their address being on the extranet - so the business would sign for and hold their package until Garrus could come in and pick it up.

The door rang out with a ring as they opened it, a turian whipping his head up from behind the counter and she could hear a small hum of surprise before rumbling out a greeting. He had a limp as he walked around, Solana figured he probably lost a leg in the war. Probably another turian that decided to stay after the war, Palaven brought up too many bad memories for a lot of people.

“Sol, this is Kaeus,” Garrus pointed towards the turian storekeeper.

“This is my sister Solana,” Garrus explained and Sol’s eyes moved from her brother to the shopkeeper.

“The ever elusive wife stay at home again?” the turian hummed and Sol’s mandible splayed in a bit of a smile.

Wife?

An idea popped into her head before Sol looked at Garrus suspiciously, it would be very like him to just off and marry Shepard without anyone there.

“Our car can’t hold three turians, a human, and what I need to bring back, so she’s staying home with my dad,” Garrus said before adding at the turian’s exasperated subharmonic, “I’ll bring him the next time I’m in.”

“I appreciate you humouring me,” he said, “I like living here but it gets lonely not hearing subvocals.”

Garrus just shrugged and Solana wondered if he felt the same way. Maybe he was used to the silence just below what humans spoke in, the loss of that thrum of emotion that was so instinctive to their species. He seemed a bit adrift while he was visiting them on Palaven like his life had shaped him to squarely fit into feeling more comfortable in human spaces.

Kaeus looked at her for a split second before gesturing for Garrus to lean in and Solana pretended to not be eavesdropping.

“... were right, she was fixing her hair while talking to me,” Kaeus whispered, “How do I let her know I’m interested too.”

“Don’t compliment the waist, it doesn’t translate well,” Garrus whispered back and Sol realised that her brother was trying to help Kaeus hook up with a human, “Instead compliment something she did. Like if she put her hair up or if she’s wearing a nice outfit because if she’s interested she’s doing that to impress you.”

Gratitude rumbled from Kaeus and Garrus smiled at him, “Just relax and just be genuine.”

“Thanks,” Kaeus scratched a mandible lazily, “I don’t know what I’d do without your expert help.”

“I’m hardly an expert,” Garrus shook his head, “I just got lucky.”

They quickly gathered everything up before heading out, a human woman passing by them. She was well dressed, her black curly hair was carefully tied behind her and Solana could see she had the human equivalent to colony markings on her face. Makeup, she finally remembered the name of it.

“Knock him dead,” was all her brother whispered to the human before they left.

“Thanks, Garrus. Have a good day,” she said before slipping into the shop.

“Your hair looks good…” she heard Kaeus from the door before it closed, a giggle that was similar to Shepards when she and Garrus thought she or dad couldn’t hear followed.

They quickly carried the supplies back to the car, setting them inside the trunk before Garrus hummed something to himself.

“I was also going to check the music store there,” Garrus pointed at it nestled between a cafe and a bookstore, “uh… the wife needs a new pick, I also see if there’s any music she might like.”

Solana just hummed, her eyes narrowing at her brother. She didn’t remember seeing a ring on Shepard’s finger but that was assuming they went with human tradition. Dad was technically needed for a turian wedding but that didn’t mean they didn’t just bind their hands with ribbon and state the vows on their own.

So she just followed him for now getting ready to chew him out on the car ride back home. She figured she had a right to be at their wedding, Shepard was her sister now.

Solana just brewed in her anger as Garrus picked out a few picks from the store, carefully looking at their displays of sheet music before grabbing a few for guitar. He also grabbed a pack of metal strings, taking Solana out of her anger for a split second to feel in awe of how much work having a guitar seemed to take.

It wasn’t until they were back in the car and heading off that she could finally release the rage that was inside of her.

“So wife?” Solana kept her voice still, knowing Garrus well enough that he’d picked up on her train of thought.

“Uhh, I didn’t come up with it but it just stuck,” his mandibles wavered and she knew he was hiding something.

“I swear to the spirits I will kill you if you got married and just didn’t mention it.”

“Sol…”

“You think dad or I wouldn’t want to be there,” her subvocals flared with anger, “Shepard’s a part of our…”

“I bought a ring but haven’t proposed,” his mandibles clacked awkwardly against his face.

Silence washed over the car and her mandibles flared a bit in the awkwardness. Her foot tapped against the floor before Garrus pushed himself into the chair.

“If you tell Shepard this I’ll flay you alive,” Garrus’ voice flared out, “I mean it.”

“I wasn’t going to,” she raised her hand defensively, “Even I can tell that much about human culture.”

That silence came back and Solana felt like she was drowning in it. She opened her mouth to close it again just to open it back up.

“So why haven’t you?” she asked, “Proposed I mean.”

“I don’t know,” he looked out the window, “Too busy. Too wrong of a moment. Good days. Bad days. My own doubts.”

“I mean she already is stuck with you,” Solana said, “Unless…”

“No she knows that turians fall once and she’s okay with that,” Garrus said, “it’s just marriage is a big thing for humans from what I can see. It’s not like turians where you just tie your hands together and say vows in front of your new family. Human marriage is an ordeal.”

“Sounds like a lot of human things truthfully,” Solana leant back in the chair.

She watched the trees pass by, his home on the horizon. She felt something oddly inspirational brew in her chest before she turned to her brother.

“I think you should just do it,” she said, “If this is what you want then I think Shepard can see that too. She does love you, you know? It’s obvious whenever she looks at you.”

“Thanks, Sol,” his shoulders relaxed as a genuinely happy trill filled the car, “you want to like awkwardly hug or…?”

“Touch me and I’ll kick your ass,” she said with a smile and Garrus laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda base Sol and Garrus' relationship after my sisters and I. So they fought like dogs when they were young and now that they're both adults and more settled in life they get along fine but still tease each other.
> 
> One more chapter then I'm letting these guys rest. Unless I get a great idea for them.


	3. Bonds

_Cars whizzed by the support structure the two of them had just parked on. Garrus quickly set up the portable chairs he brought, Shepard’s eyes closing as she enjoyed the cool air from the water below them while sitting on the hood of the car. As he finished she hoisted herself up to move into the chair, letting Garrus grab the bag of food he brought._

_He handed her a takeout container she had been eagerly looking at in the car ride here - apparently it smelt good - before opening his own and sitting down next to her._

_“I was going to take you here during the war,” he finally said as he chewed his blueish steak, “I’m glad I get the opportunity now.”_

_“What were you planning then?” she asked and Garrus froze, taking a deep breath._

_“I was going to be honest and confess,” he scratched his neck awkwardly before coughing and continuing, “ask you to be a one-woman turian.”_

_Shepard froze next to him, her teeth worrying her bottom lip as she did whenever she was upset. Her mouth opened and Garrus just turned to look at her._

_“You apologise and I’ll twist your nose,” Garrus sagely said and her mouth popped shut._

_Then she laughed, her eyes closing as water prickled at the corner of her eyes at the force of her mirth._

_“You know me too well,” she wiped her eyes and Garrus mandibles splayed and his chest rumbled with joy._

_She slowly picked at her food, twirling it around her fork before taking a bit. Then she seemed to freeze, her gaze troubled as she stared at the food._

_“I’m still me right?” she stuck her fork into the pasta, her eyes focused on the red sauce while she asked the only man who knew her well enough to tell._

_“I think if you weren’t we never would have had this,” he finally said as he grasped her hand, telling her what he finally decided on after months of struggling after her admission of indoctrination on Palaven, “I can’t see Cerberus allowing you to love a turian.”_

_He trusted her. He trusted that her love for him was genuine. She had to be real for this to be real and judging by the relieved look on her face Shepard came to the same conclusion._

_“I think this is how we move forward,” his thumb rubbed her softer skin, “We trust in our bond.”_

* * *

“I brought supplies,” Garrus lowered the crate onto the ground, digging his talons into the lid and lifting it up.

“Ah,” Shepard drawled from her chair, “We will survive the winter.”

“We don’t have enough ice melter to survive the winter,” he grumbled, clearly not excited for the inevitability of ice and snow.

Shepard just laughed and Garrus’ mandibles splaying in joy at hearing it. Shepard eased herself up to help put stuff away, biting back her tongue as she noticed that he handed her the lighter supplies.

She learned to pick her battles with Garrus.

Besides she had lost the physical strength she used to have. A good chunk of her cybernetics fried after the Crucible and her time in retirement had definitely had given her a soft padding. Garrus didn’t seem to mind, in fact, he seemed enthused about being able to sink his hands into her.

“I got you some picks and sheet music,” Garrus rumbled, his eyes flickering over to her, “I just left them in the living room.”

She put the last thing he gave her on the shelf, turning to him with an excited sparkle in her eyes. Then she was out of the room to head back to the living room, Garrus right behind her. She nodded to Castis from where he was sitting on the couch with his omni-tool out and Shepard quickly dug out the sheet music.

Her eyes poured over it, fingers twitching as she tried to parse it together before attempting on the guitar. She felt the air shift around her and she looked up to feel her breath catch in her throat.

Garrus was watching her with a stark longing in his face, Shepard’s heart beginning to ache at the sight of him. Her hand twitched and she took a deep breath, her nerves rumbling deep inside of her. She could almost see Castis out of the corner of her eye giving a small nod of encouragement.

“Hey,” they both clamoured together as everyone froze.

“I was…” Garrus froze, his hands beginning to shake.

Then he made a frustrated noise and Shepard’s eyebrows furrowed. Her hands shifted through her hair, tousling them around as stood up to pace. Garrus was no better, shifting from side to side as his leg bounced. His hand scratched at his scarred mandible almost incessantly in an attempt to keep it from digging into his pocket.

“I…” Garrus and Shepard said together again before continuing in unison, “no, you can…”

Shepard’s eyebrows furrowed as Garrus gestured for her to continue, choking around her words as she kept moving back and forth. Castis and Solana just watched them with a sense of amusement.

“I… you… I mean…” her voice began to pitch up in frustration before anger just swathed out from her.

“Marry me, you turian bitch!” Shepard practically screamed at him and he just froze, Castis coughing awkwardly as Solana burst into the room at the noise, “We’re like almost already married, our family’s here. Let’s just do it!”

“I…” Garrus blinked in surprise, “Our family?”

“Yes, ours.”

“We need…” he started but Shepard just leant behind her, pulling open a hidden drawer in the table to pull out the elaborate ribbon.

His heart froze in his chest at the sight of it. She even found the Vakarian design, Garrus’ eyes flicking to his dad in suspicion. Garrus wondered if it was the same one his dad used to marry into the family.

“Garrus,” Solana whispered and he dug into his pocket, pulling out a startling blue ring.

“I uhh…” he shifted awkwardly, “This isn’t how I wanted to do this but if we’re doing this I want it to be done in both of our cultures so will you do me the honour of marrying me twice?”

She smiled at him before raising her left hand, her fourth finger presented for him and he felt a rumble of gratitude before sliding the ring on.

Shepard rested the ribbon right underneath her thumb - Garrus doing the same - before they began to weave it between their hands. Garrus’ mandibles splayed a bit in surprise as she deftly bound their hands together, her ring finger tightly pressed against his lower by the blue ribbon. Those hours of practising on her own paid off, she thought while his eyes burned through her.

Shepard could see the way he puffed up with pride. It wasn’t her intention but she still felt that stab of satisfaction. Garrus hated when she blamed herself but she had caused him enough pain regardless of it being unintentional. It made her feel like she was offering a small apology with every smile she put on his face.

“Duty brought us together,” Garrus started, his eyes were firmly on her as that damn love-sick expression spread across his face, “Love brought us closer. I bring you here to join family today. I vow to love and uphold you.”

“I vow to love and uphold you and your family,” his mandibles splayed as she cleanly recited the traditional vow, “I accept the responsibilities of becoming a Vakarian.”

“Shepard is my sister, both of heart and spirit,” Solana said, her chest puffing a bit, “I accept her into the family.”

“I have come to know Shepard as a daughter and I have seen her love and dedication to my son, I accept her into the family,” was all Castis said and they both relaxed, a giddy smile spreading as they realised it.

“So which name are you taking?” Solana asked, watching the two of them untwine their hands.

“I…” Shepard froze before looking to Garrus, “Haven’t thought about that at all.”

“Shepard-Vakarian?” he softly suggested in a sure tone that meant he had thought about it.

“I like that,” she said before adding wistfully, “No Shepard without Vakarian.”

* * *

“Should we tell people?” Shepard finally asked while she lay on the bed and Garrus tilted his head at her from their bathroom, “That we’re married.”

“I don’t think normal people alert the press just to say they married,” was all Garrus said in response as he wiped his face clean of paint with a wet cloth, “I think it’s fine like this.”

“I meant the crew,” Shepard’s mouth opened for a split second as her teeth threatened to worry her bottom lip before she held back the instinct, Garrus making his way to her after finishing while tossing the dirty cloth into the laundry basket, “Like Liara or Ashley or James.”

“We can,” he shifted onto the bed, “they’ll probably be mad we got married without them.”

“Half-married,” she smirked, “Still need to do the human ceremony. They can come to that.”

Garrus laughed as Shepard pulled his hand towards her, “If you want to then yeah we can. You have any thoughts on your wedding?”

“Quiet,” she immediately said and he just smiled at her, “Probably here, maybe next summer. I’ll have to look into someone officiating it. Probably have to spend a fortune keeping them quiet.”

“Just blindfold them,” Garrus playfully added and Shepard’s eyebrows furrowed as she considered it, “You know how the crew is though, any wedding you have won’t be quiet.”

“I’ll just cry,” she said, “That’ll probably shut them up.”

“I’m more interested in this honeymoon thing,” he hummed, easing himself onto his elbows to look down at her, “You and me just alone with only each other…”

“Like every day here?” she chuckled and he gave her a look, “Oh, so you just want to fuck with nicer scenery.”

“Even priceless art needs a good frame,” he purred as he tugged her hips to align with his, “Now I need to show my _wife_ how much I love her so if you don’t mind…”

“What a coincidence, I need to show my husband the same thing,” Shepard idly flicked open a latch on his shirt before pretending to get up, “Now if you’ll let me go find him…”

“That’s enough from you,” he grasped her by the waist before she could go, the two of them tumbling to the bed with a laugh.

Tomorrow might be another bad day for either of them. Shepard could have that dark look in her eyes that made Garrus hide the knives in fear or Garrus could hear a car drive above them and feel the burning pain flare-up as panic filled him while Shepard gently eased him back from his dark memories on Omega.

Right now, however, they were happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This probably seems weird to end this on considering it started out as heavy angst but truthfully this series has been me working out some issues. Which is probably obvious and a little concerning but whatever, it means a happy ending because that's what I want.


End file.
